{"nrhp_refnum":"82001951","name":"Inman Square Historic District","other_names":[],"category":"district","location":{"address":"Hampshire, Cambridge, and Inman Sts.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Cambridge","county":"Middlesex County","state":"MA","lat":42.37367442900006,"lon":-71.10077824299998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1982-04-13","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Architecture"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A small commercial historic district of about 0.8 acres at the intersection of Hampshire, Cambridge and Inman Streets in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with buildings dating from 1855 to 1912.","why_significant":"The nomination calls Inman Square the only nineteenth-century commercial square in Cambridge that remains virtually intact and keeps its early character. Four key buildings anchor the streetscape: the Waite Building, the Middlesex Bank Building, a Queen Anne commercial/residential block and the Inman Square Fire Station. The reviewer recommended listing under Criterion C.","narrative":"Inman Square, once called Atwood's Corner until 1875, is a compact commercial district in Cambridge at the meeting of Hampshire, Cambridge and Inman Streets. It is described as the only nineteenth-century commercial square in the city that remains virtually intact. Four buildings define it. The Waite Building (1855-57) was built for Charles Waite, a dry goods importer and major local landowner, and occupies a triangular lot. The Middlesex Bank Building (1874) is a large, prominent reminder of the square's late-century commercial activity. The Queen Anne block of 1894 has four storefronts below apartments, with patterned shingles, decorated bargeboards and original display windows. The 1912 Fire Station carries terra cotta panels tracing the history of fire fighting equipment, and it housed the city's first motor-driven apparatus. Together these buildings preserve the look of a New England commercial center, which is the basis for the district's recognition.","period_of_significance":"1855-1900","architect_builder":"Newhall & Blevins (architects, Inman Square Fire Station); Atlantic Terra Cotta Company of New York (fire station terra cotta panels)","architectural_style":"Mixed styles, including Greek Revival commercial and Queen Anne","criteria":["C"],"status_note":"Condition is described as generally very good, with mixed uses including stores, a firehouse and a bank.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:11:54.893231-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/8/7912/63791208/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/82001951.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/82001951/39546cd189-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/82001951/39546cd189-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY 3.0","author":"Tim Pierce","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cambridge_MA_Inman_Square.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Tim Pierce</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cambridge_MA_Inman_Square.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63791208","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inman_Square","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6035057"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/middlesex-county/inman-square-historic-district-82001951/"}